Shoe and method of making same



June 22,1937. A. C ZE LA 2,084,892

SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Aug. 26, 1.936 2 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTOR June 22, 1937. A COCOZELLA 2,084,892

SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Aug. 26, i936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m 5K fif/ //7 WflWW' W 3 m i 1 w v is: m x m F;

. g 41 w 7 W77 my m I INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented June 22, 1937 UNITEDSTATES PATENT ,OFFIC SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Anthony Cocozella,Lynn, Mass, assignor to The Del-Mac Shoe Process Corporation, acorporation of New York Application August 26, 1936, Serial No. 97,896

8 Claims.

- 1 the blank. Leather sole blanks of such thickness are proportionatelymuch more expensive and not so readily available as the lighter weights,with the result that manufacturers supplying the low priced volume tradecannot afiord to practice this improved shoemaking method and thesuperior flexibility and wearing qualities of single-soled shoes of thistype have not been made available to the great majority of the people. I

More specifically, it has been the general practice to provide a soleblank of approximately eight I and one-half irons uniform thickness andto split oii an insole about two and one-half irons thick having acentral opening in itsforepart, thereby leaving remaining an outsolehaving about six irons thickness throughout the shank and heel expensiveseven iron outsoles commonly used in volume production, it has beenfound that the foreparts of the sole members are decidedly more flexibleand of adequate weight for long wear, but the shank portion of theoutsole, reduced to approximately four and one-half irons, is so thinthat it is drawn in on opposite sides of the usual steel shank stifienerwhen the outsole is attached to the shoe, forming objectionable deeplateral depressions or gutters in the margins of the tread surface ofthe shank portion of the shoe, so that the finished shoe lacks the usualand proper transverse arching at ,the tread surface of the shank and isunsaleable. It is a principal object of my invention, therefore, toprovide improved sole members for shoes of this character from lighterand less expensive sole blanks, and to provide an improved shoe in whichthe foreparts and the shank and heel portions of the sole will be betterbalanced and proportioned. Another object is to provide an improved shoeof this type in which the outsole is rendered softer and more flexible.Other and further objects will appear from the follawing 55specification.

Referring to the drawings which form. a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a rounded outsole blank.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Figure1.

Figure 3 is a similar longitudinal sectional view showing the blankdivided into insole and outsole portions.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the insole portion of theblank having a reinforcement cemented, over the shank and heel portionthereof.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the outsole having a plurality of transversecuts formed therein across the elevated central area of the ball portionto render the outsole forepart softer and more flexible.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional 'view of a light rounded outsoleblank having a relatively stifi reinforcement cemented over the shankand heel portions thereof.

Figure 7 is a similar sectional view showing the manner in which thesole blank illustrated in Figure 6 is divided, and

Figure 8 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing a finished shoeembodying my improved sole construction.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a rounded outsole blank In ofmoderate thickness equal to the combined thickness of the insole andoutsole forepart portions desired. The blank is thendivided in planessubstantially as indicated by the line x-'a: in Figure 2 to obtain aninsole portion 20 having a skeleton forepart 2| of the full insole.thickness desired, and an integral shank and heel portion 22 of lessthickness than the forepart and materially lighter than would beadequate for the insole of a shoe.

After removal of the insole portion, there will remain an outsole 30having a shank and heel portion 32 of thickness nearly equal to thethickness of the blank. The central area 34 of the ball portion of theoutsole retains the full thickness of the blank III, while the forepartis reduced entirely about said area at 33 to less than the thickness ofthe shank and heel portion, as will be readily understood, said outsoleand the insole portion-of the blank being counterparts.

Assuming the blank In to have a thickness of seven irons, theproportions shown in the drawings indicate an insole shank and heelportion having thickness of only one iron, while the correspondingoutsole portion of the blank is of six irons thickness, adequate toobviate the objection able guttering above referred to; v

For the purpose of rendering the thicker cen-' tral forepart portion ofthe outsole softer and 5 more flexible, I prefer to form a plurality ofwide transverse cuts 35 in the surface of the island-like outsoleprojection 34, as shown in Figure 5, or the outsole may be otherwisescarified over this .area as by cross hatching or abrading the surface.A reinforcement 25 of fibre or other suitable and relatively stiffmaterial having its forward end edges skived or beveled at 25', is thencemented to the split surface of the thin shank and heel areas of theinsole portion 20 of the blank to build 15 up an insole 28 as shown inFigure 4, the portion 22 integral with the forepart 2| forming a thinveneer over the reinforcement.

The insole 28 may then be rounded or otherwise trimmed to proper sizeand contour. How- 20 ever, the insole may be predefined and initiallyformed by incisions in the insole portion of the blank before splittingas described in U. S. Patents Nos. 1,988,282 and 2,012,913 issued toFred Maccarone. Also, although I have illustrated 5 and described thatthe sole portions 20 and 30 are formed as divisions of an outsolerounded blank,

it will be understood that an unrounded blank may be similarly dividedand the divisions thereafter died out or rounded to their respectiveproper sizes and contours.

Thus formed and properly sized, the insole 28 may be further preparedfor lasting, where necessary, and is secured to the bottom of a.vsuitable last, after which the upper 50 is lasted and secured r to themargins of the insole in any of the ways and by any of the meanswellknown to those skilled in this art. A steel shank stifl'ener 5| ofusual form is secured to the insole shank portion and, after the upperand insole have been lasted 40 and secured together, the outsole." isattached in mating relation to the insole, either by stitching orcement, depending upon the type of construction desired. A heel 52 isattached, a sock lining 53 is inserted, and such other finishingoperations 45 are performed as may be required.

Figure 8 is illustrative of the relationship of the sole members in thefinished shoe in which the central area of the outsole forepart is ofthe full thickness of the original blank and the shank and 50 heelportion of the outsole is of nearly the same thickness. The insoleforepart consists entirely of material excised from the common blank andthe shank and heel portion of the insole comprises a very thin integrallayer of said material cement- 55 ed in facing relation over therelatively stifl? reinforcing portion 25. The shank and heel portion ofthe insole is of suflicient thickness and. stiffness so that the usualshank piece may be dispensed with. Differently stated, the reinforcingportion 25 of the insole compensates for the usual shank piece andis-therefore provided without adding to the cost of the shoe.

A variation of the above described procedure providing similarlyproportioned insole and out- 65 sole members from like materials isillustrated in scribed in connection with the splitting of the blank l0.

Preferably the reinforcement 4| is cementedin position to build up theblank 40 before rouhd- 1 ing and the laminated blank is rounded in amachine built. in accordance with the principles taught in the U. S.Patent No. 2,012,913 above mentioned, whereby the insole 45 ispredefined and initially formed by an incision 43 in the margins of theblank, the incision extending to a depth 10 corresponding to thethickness of the desired insole 45. Then, when the blank is divided intoinsole and outsole portions, a waste rand 41 is removed and the insoleportion of the blank is trimmed to proper size and contour. However, therounded blank 40 may be built up after the parts are given shape, ifdesired, and the insole portion may be sized subsequent to the splittingoperation.

It will be noted that whereas the outsole 4B is similar to the outsole30, the insole 45 difiers from the insole 28 in that the reinforcingportion 4| thereof is cemented to the flesh surface of the blank ratherthan to the split surface of the insole portion. Therefore, if an insole45 were to be 20 incorporated in a shoe having an outsole formed fromtheidentical blank, the reinforcing portion 4| of the insole would haveto be faced against the,last and would occupy a position. innermost inthe finished shoe. The shoe may be so made, if 30 desired. However, asit is desirable to have the unitary portion of the insole innermost inthe shoe, I prefer to invert the insole. This requires that the insoleobtained from a blank 40 rounded for the right foot'be .used for makingthe left shoe and vice versa, but the completed shoe will neverthelessappear substantially as illustrated in Figure 8.

It may appear from the drawings, which are somewhat exaggerated for thepurposes of this 40 disclosure, that some difficulty would beexperienced in carrying out this practice. However, the beveled marginsof the insole openings are in fact very light and flexible and readilyconform with the beveled shores of the island-like outsole elevation sosmoothly that it is difllcult to discover by simple observation on whichside of the insole the bevel is formed, with the result that theinterior of the finished shoe is so smooth and flush as to beindistinguishable from shoes in which the divided portions of the sameblank are assembled together.

Whether the reinforcing portion of the insole is applied to the blankbefore or after splitting,

I prefer to divide the blank in one continuous and progressive operationin a splitting machine by die and roll methods in which the blank isdistorted by a suitably formed die to position the different portionsthereof in. difierent planes for engagement by the fixed knife of themachine. The die may be formed. integral with or carried by thesplitting machine roll, or it may comprise a template adapted to be fedwith the sole blank between the plain rolls of a standard leathersplitter.

My improved shoe members may be made very economically as abovedescribed, but by whatever methods and means they are provided they willbe found to enhance greatly the qualities characteristic of the shoes inwhich they are incorporated, obtaining an improved balance between thelighter and more flexible forepart and the sturdy outsole shankfoundation.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a shoe, an outsole having greater thickness at the central area ofthe forepart and less thickness entirely about said area than in theshank and heel portion thereof, theinner surface of said outsole havinga plurality of cuts therein over said area of greater thickness torender the forepart softer and more flexible, an insole comprising ashank and heel member of stiff material and a flexible forepart of fullinsole thickness having an opening therein and having an integral shankand heel portion of less thickness overlying said member and adhesivelysecured thereto.

2. In a, shoe, an insole comprising a shank member of stiff material anda flexible forepart of 'full insole thickness having an opening thereinand having an integral shank portion of less thickness overlying saidmember and adhesive-,'

ly secured thereto, and an outsole having greater thickness at thecentral area of the forepart and less thickness entirely about said areathan in the shank and heel portion thereof.

3. In a shoe, an outsole comprising a single layer of leather havinggreater thickness at the central area of the ball portion and lessthickness entirely about said area than in the shank and heel portionthereof.

4. In a shoe, an insole comprising a shank member of stiff material, aflexible forepart of full insole thickness having an opening therein andhaving an integral shank portion of le thickness'overlying said memberand adhesively secured thereto.

5. In shoemaking methods wherein a blank comprising a leather solemember is divided into an outsole portion having a central projection onthe forepart thereof and an insole portion having an'opening therein,that improvement which comprises splitting the. shank and heel portionof the blank in a plane further removed from the grain surface of theleather sole member than the plane in which the forepart edges aredivided, and forming a plurality of cuts in the surface of the outsoleprojection to render the outsole forepart softer and more flexible.

6. In shoemaking methods wherein a blank comprising a leather solemember is divided into an outsole portion having a central projection onthe forepart thereofand an insole portion having an opening therein,that improvement which comprises splitting the shank and heel portion ofthe blank in a plane further removed from the grain surface of theleather sole member than the plane in which the forepart edges aredivided.

'7. In shoemaking, that improvement which comprises providing a soleblank of uniform thickness, dividingsaid blank to remove therefrom aninsole portion of desired insole thickness at the forepart and of lessthickness at the shank and heel thereof, and cementing a layer- ANTHONYCOCOZELLA.

